Pedro Fernandez De Quirós

Born in Evora, Quirós had previously sailed with the galleons plying between the Philippine Islands and Mexico, and had acquired a profound knowledge of navigation. In 1595 he served as pilot on the second voyage of Alvaro de Mendaña de Nehra, from Peru to the Marquesas Islands and the Santa Cruz Islands in the Pacific. Alarmed by the weak leadership and barbaric maltreatment of natives, he often quarrelled with Mendaña. After the death of Mendaña and Baretto (October 1595), Quirós led the survivors back to Manila, and subsequently returned to Acapulco in Mexico (arrival 11 December 1596).

Unable to secure a commission for a further Pacific voyage of his own, he visited Rome in 1600, where he obtained the patronage of Pope Clement VIII and the Spanish ambassador. Having obtained the endorsement of Philip III of Spain, Quirós returned to Peru in 1603 with the intention of finding and settling the mythical Terra Australis. With three ships, San Pedro y Paulo, San Pedrico (under Luis Vaez de Torres) and Los Tres Reyes (under Bernal Camino), Quirós left Callao on 21 December 1605 with 300 crew and soldiers.

Sailing first to the southwest, Quirós reached 120°W 26°S, but the weather deteriorated, forcing a change of course to the northwest. On route he sighted La Encarnacion (Ducie Island), Henderson Island and Marutea (in the Tuamotu Archipelago). He landed on La Conversion de San Pablo (Hao Island) and Isla de Pescado (Caroline Island, often confused with San Bernardo (Puka Puka), which yielded food but no water. Continuing west, he next reached Gente Hermosa (Rakahanga Atoll), and eventually Nuestra Senora del Socorro (Taumaco, near the Santa Cruz Islands), where he heard reports of a large continent to the southwest. Sailing southeast he rounded Tucopia (Tikopia) and, after continuing south for a time (to 24.4.06), left the ships "to the Will of God". God's will then steered them southwest to Santa Maria (Gaua in Vanuatu) and La Australia del Espiritu Santo Espiritu Santo), where the colony of Nova Jerusalem (Vera Cruz) was established (14 May 1606) in the Bay of San Felipe y Santiago (Big Bay).

With all the trappings of a Quixotic burlesque, Quirós then founded a new Order of Chivalry, making all his men Knights of the Holy Ghost. The colony was soon abandoned due to native hostlity and disagreements among the crew. De Quirós, in the San Pedro y Paulo, became separated from the other ships in bad weather and was prevented from putting back to shore. Missing the Santa Cruz Islands, he sailed to 38°N and returned via the North Pacific route to California and Acapulco, arriving 23 November 1606.

Criticised for his failure, Quirós wandered Mexico and then returned to Madrid in 1607. He spent the next seven years in poverty, wrote fifty memorials of the voyage (only eight of which have survived), and harassed Philip III for funds to repeat the voyage. So that his discoveries should not fall into foreign hands many of his memorials were recalled and he was despatched to Peru with pretended orders for assistance in further voyages. He died in Panama (1615/14) while on route, unaware of the deception. The fate of the survivors on Espiritu Santo is dealt with in the article for Torres.

Other Internet resources:

• Herrmann Mückler: Quiros, Pedro Fernandez de (in German)
• Michael de Looper: Pedro Fernandez de Quiros
• Ray Howgego: Luis Vaez de Torres
• Leigh Rayment: Alvaro de Mendaña de Nehra

Sources and bibliography:

• Beaglehole, J.C.: The exploration of the Pacific (London 1934).
• Dalrymple, Alexander: An historical collection of the several voyages and discoveries in the South Pacific Ocean (London 1770-71; 2 vols; Amsterdam 1967).
• Dalrymple, Alexander: An historical collection of the several voyages and discoveries in the South Pacific Ocean. Being chiefly a literal translation from the Spanish writers (London 1770-71, 2 vols in one; London 1775; French trans., Paris 1774; German trans., Hamburg 1786; Amsterdam 1967).
• Kelly, Celsus (ed.): La Austrialia del Espiritu Santo: the journal of Fray Matin de Munilla and other documents relating to the voyage of Pedro Fernandez de Quiros to the South Sea (1605-1606) and the Franciscan missionary plan (1617-1627) (Hakluyt Society, Cambridge 1966; 2 vols).
• Major, Richard Henry: Early voyages to Terra Australis to the time of Captain Cook, as told in original documents (Adelaide 1963).
• Markham, Sir Clements (ed.): The voyages of Pedro Fernandez de Quiros, 1595 to 1606 (Hakluyt Society, London 1904; 2 vols).
• Morga, Antonio de: Sucesos de las Islas Philipinas (Mexico City 1609; Manila 1961; English trans. by Lord Stanley of Alderley, Hakluyt Society, London 1868; trans. & ed. by J.S. Cummins, Hakluyt Society, Cambridge 1971; ed. by W.E. Retana, Madrid 1909; ed. by José Rizal, Paris 1890).
• Quiros, Pedro Fernandes de: Memorial dio a S.M. sobre el decubrimiento que hizo en 1606 de las tierras australes, y submario breve y derrotero del viaje que hizo el capitain P.F. Quiros... (? 1610)
• Quiros, Pedro Fernandes de: Terra Australis Incognita, or a new southerne discoverie, containing a fifth part of the world. Lately found out by Ferdinand de Quir, a Spanish captaine... (London 1617, 1723).
• Quiros, Pedro Fernandes de: Account of a memorial presented to (Philip III of Spain) concerning the population and discovery of...Australia the unknown, its riches and fertlility. Reprint of the 1610 Spanish edition, with a translation and introduction by W.A. Duncan (Sydney 1874).
• Quiros, Pedro Fernandes de: Historia del descubrimiento de las regiones Australes hecho por el General Pedro Fernandez de Quiros (Madrid 1876-82, 3 vols).
• Sharp, Andrew: The discovery of the Pacific islands (Oxford 1961).
• Stevens, Henry N. (ed) & Barwick, George F. (trans.): New light on the discovery of Australia as revealed by the journal of Captain Don Diego de Prado y Tovar (Hakluyt Society, London 1930).
• Strang, Herbert (ed.): Early days in Australia (London, n.d.).
• Torquemada, Juan de: Rituales i Monarchia Indiana, con el origen y guerras, de los Indios Occidentales, de sus poblacones, descubrimiento, conquista... (Seville 1615; Madrid 1725 [enlarged]).
• [Anon.]: Descriptio ac delineatio geographica detectionis freti, sive, transitus ad oceanum, supra terra Americanos, in Chinam atque Japonem ducturi... (Amsterdam 1612).

The material on this page was created by Ray Howgego, and publication was allowed by him to Discoverers Web. This page is an excerpt from a large amount of material that Ray has written, concerning voyages of discovery before 1800. He would like to have this work published, any publisher who is interested can contact him through email.